Correspondence sheet



June 11, 1935'. H E 2,004,688

CORRESPONDENCE SHEET Filed April 20, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l z I. 23 'i z i 3 E d E .7 2a I i Z/ .23 2/ .25

swam W I HOPE BEL/CE June 11, 1935. H. BRUCE 2,004,688

CORRESPONDENCE SHEET Filed April 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 11, 1935 M Fri-c reonnnsnownsivonsnnnii V -*Hope Bruce; Washington; C. I

'Application Ammo, 1933-;Serial'Nov667fl80 02' claims;

This invention'relates to correspondence-sheets. That is to say, to:sheets ohpaper:sosformedthat ieach'tsheet-may be utilized aspa substitutetfi'or paper and envelopeior correspondenc'ezuse. .riEach sheet is so designed rthat, after a miessage z'has been :written iupon: it,':it1may be folded .uponvit-self :and'secured- :in :f olded position so that :thexus'e-aoi" an envelopesis rendered unnecessary. Themacliet formedi-by the z'ioldedizandsi securedt'sheet 1810f proper-.-size forimailing; :the; written vmessageczis zcompletely ienfoldedsoras tobe .zunviewable' from the outside of the packet',:zand rthe ivariousilayers wofipaper are maintainedv in closely :held flat rela- :tion so that'the packetvhas-no greaterbulkithan has an envelope and correspondence sheetxofwsim- 1lar;s1ze. :1- txisonly necessary-to'write the-raddress I ,upon fthehack of ithe {packet :and afiixea stamp; :andtitisready iorimailing.

laThe advantage which a correspondence 'rs'heet f =thisi-naturel possessesnover, the conventional -paperaand :envelope of corresponding weight :and

size are primarily its greater economy :of production, the cost of the usual envelopebeingsprac- ;ticallyieliminated;:andaits presentationiof agreatersarea ;-.-upon which .a rmessagez-rmay beqwritten,

9511011 sportions-aof the :surf ace :as vwould. rotherwise constitutethe-interior ofrtheaenvelope beingsmade javailable rfOI' messagerinscriptioni .J'I-he presentfinventor sis well: aware :that corgrespondence ,:sheets,:; in: themselvesware; bymo :means. new and athat'rmanywdifierent i forms have been made and tested.- '--N-one; of .-.these, i'h'owever,

despite the inherent advantages :which';they-. have :gpossessed; have :proven :commercia-lly; practicable andfnonehave been adopted by-the letterhwrit-mg public. lfllhegxprincipal-:reason' iorsthisfifailure of success is :t'hatzpneviously :suggested correspondence rsheets.;have: possessed either. or.-.both- .of the .Ha-nce for practical purposes. -..These-disadvan-- serious faults which have overbalanc'ed-theiriad- :mitted-Jadvantages and :preventedstheir :acceptr :tages-arethefactrthat suchacorresp-ondencesheets 5 have largely beensso fOrmed and folded ythat-t-he s packet ;cornerswvere' weak;and.==liable to zcrumple,

- of becomingatornz under :IfOllEhz'Oi. prolonged hanidling;:an d thezfurther fact=thatiit has been idemonstrated toabe extremely; diificult to open: rthe zpackets without-cutting or tearing through the '"-*written rmessagewith: a consequent introduction Y of a jig asaw puzzle relement' intoits reassembly a b'etore it :co'uldwbe read. :An additional advantage 7 "ofzthe correspondence sheet isthat'it'canwbe .u-sed with :ease; in :typewriting and envelope' machines.

:L'Ihisinvention has; :as its intent. and purpose, the provision of a .comtesp.o'nden.ce-;sheet which vfilliretainkthe-ienumerated inherent advantages of such sheets but from which the recited. disadvantages will have been eliminated.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a correspondence sheet which, when c1:--"22 9'-%92;7)' j H iolded rand-sealed in packet form, willhave its rcornersreinforced-with extra thickness of :paper 1 rSllCh '23) a manner nthat itsecorners *will be 'its *strcrigestpoints. V

. i The wsecondarywobject of the invention f is the Y ,provision of a-correspondence-sheet which, when iolded'mnd :sealed. in packet ffOI'd'Il, will .in I :itself indicate rthe :pointwor rpointsat which itsis to be hopened -in- -order. :that .it: may be unfolded; :and svpresentwan 'uninjured'inessage area.

V Withthesembje'cts inview, ithe.invention-goon- "iace-iofra correspondence isheet'designed in-"acszicordancewwithmandembodying the. principles 'aof thisainyention. a

i'Figureizais;asimilarwiew:but-sliowinggtheisheet z.-:after ithe first; folding-@peration has beena-efn icfectedzrin theifonmationuof the packet; p

:Eignre 3 :is-iansimilarcviewbut :showingrithe silsheetaafter tthezse'cond rfolding operation.

Figure 4 is a similar view but showing the-sheet sizafteitrthe ithil'd stolding pperation.

iiFigure 5 isv asimilar view but:showi-ngthe-sheet' :2 l after the 'fiourthdlolding wingioperation. 1 v 1 geperationv and first seal- Figure/"6 isea si-milar -viewsbut-fshowing the zis'heetzefter the; ;-:fifth:.-and final =to1'ding operation :and theicompletionrof the spacket readyior mail- :cing. My

EFigure Hais anpersp ve ew-:01? the completed. sepacketmnd r- J-EFigures 8 gtoil l', inclusive,- are views isimil'ar to.

Figures 1 to 7, respectively,'-and--.illustrating the isucc'essive jstepsiin :the production of a completed apacketfrom ;a correspondence sheet" according atos axlmodification ofithe design shownin Figures Referring, in the iirst: instance, ;to Figure 1 of ithendrawings; there -is -illustrateda correspond- -2encesheet.whichconsists,=-basi ca1ly, of a substaniti'ally rectangular sheet 70f paper-2l so propor- 1 'tioned that-:whenxproperly: .folded, it will embody iZiE'BGtaIIgHIQ JKJZQIIBS 11,212, c, d, e; and-1. These'zones are outlined by the dotted lines m, n, m, y, and e which indicate the lines upon which the sheet is to be folded. These lines may be printed or creased upon the sheet 211 or they may be purely front and rear'faces and at its right handiend, a l

in Figure 2, as the first step in the formation of the zones 11' and-band both faces of each of the opposite ends of the flaps are similar. tri-,-

angular members 26 and 21. The-member 26 abuts a corner of the zone b and the member 21 abuts a corner of the zone 0.

After the message is written upon the rear or inner faces of the six zones and upon the front faces of the zones 0, d, e, and 1, if desired; the sheet is folded uponthe line n, to the position shown of the packet. The 'nextfold is upon the line m to .the position shown in Figure 3. This isfollowed by a fold upon the line a: whereupon the sixzones have been brought into superimposed relation as shown in Figure 4. The front face of the zone, i a now forms the front of the packet and the front .face of the zone I) has been folded over to form the rear of the packet. 'The rear'or inner faces the zones 0, d, e, and and covered. i v

- The flap 22 is then folded on the line yagainst the rear of the packet, asshown in Figure 5; its gummed portion 24 being moistened and caused to adhere thereto. The flap 2| is finally folded down on the line 2, as shown in Figure-6, its gummed portion 23* being moistened and caused to adhere to the rear of the packet. The packet is thus completed, being properly folded and sealed, and is readyfor mailing. H I

It will be noted the zone'a which forms the front face of. the packet has no free edge. (Its sides are flanked bythezones b and c and the flaps 2| and 22, and its corners'are masked by the zone d and the small triangular members 25, 26, and 21. In this manner the de siredstrengthare completely enfolded ening of the corners of, the packet is ensured as each corner will be provided with four folded over superimposed and 'overlapping layers of paper. The corners of the packet; so reinforced,

I are thus rendered highly resistant to-shocks and strains.

The completed packet presents, between its clear opening 28 as shownin Figure 7. iThis opening is not intended to be closed'as it forms the guide for opening the packet. To open the 5 packet the blade of a paper cutter or penknife or other suitable and available instrument is innounced indication of the opening point. In this form of the invention there isfound a'sheet 30 portion 33 and with flap 32 ne mau' triangular having the six zones at, b, c, d, e, and ,f andadapt-- edto be folded'on the'lines n', m, $.11, a d z. Thesheet is provided with flap 3| having gummed member 31. In this case there is no reinforcement on the-upper left hand corner of the zone a but the flap 32 extends downwardly past the end of the zone a and flanks the major portion of the zone 2) vas well. At the lower left hand corner of the zone b a small triangular piece is cut away as shown at'39.

I In the formation of the packet formed from this type of sheet the process is similarto that previously described. However, after the folds have been folded to the position shown in Figure 10, the next step is as shown in Figure 11, wherein the fiap -32 isfolded over, horizontally, against the rear face of zones a and b. It is not, however, pasted down as its function is purely to reinforce the edge of the packet and it has no sealing'function. After the lower zones have been ifOldi-Zd up; as shown inFigure 12, and the flap 3| has beenfolded down and caused to adhere to the zone I), as shown in Figure 13-, the triangular cut L20 away portions 39 of the zone is partially exposed at theend of the flap 3| in the form of a smaller triangular opening 40, as shown in Figures 13 and 14.? It is into this opening that the pointof the It is; of course; obvious that only four zones mayoccur upon thesheet 'orif desired, eight or butter 'is'desigried to be inserted in order to cut '25 the flap '3I.-.along itsline of'fold as thus permits the packet to be unfolded.

even ten rather than'the six that have been illus- .30

trated and described. Other modifications'and alterations in form and arrangement of parts will readily suggest'themselves and even" though none such are specifically mentioned herein they are contemplated as forming a part of this invention '35 insofar as theyfall within lowing claims:- J f I claim' '1; "A correspondence the'scope of the folsheet adapted to be .folded and sealed'in packet form, said sheet being sub- '40 stantially rectangular and comprising an even numbered equal sized zones'adapted to be folded into superimposed flat relationto form the packet, one corner zone forming the rear face thereof,

flaps in the form of a trapezoid extending from 345 saidzoneis folded into such packet back forming position and the corresponding flap is folded thereover, an aperture will be presented for the introduction of an appropriate packet opening instrument.

- .2; A correspondence'she'et adapted to-be folded=" and sealed in packet form, said sheet being substantially rectangular and comprising an even numberof'equal size zones, adapted to be folded into superimposed fiat relation to form a packet,

one corner zone forming the front face of a packet and an' adjoining zone forming the rear face thereof, flaps-extending from the freeedg'es of said corner zone and so cutthat the flaps are united at one edgewhereby reinforcing means 'i provided r he corner of the foldedpacketf 'the corner zone forming the rearface and the adjacent flap having one corner cuttherefrom so 'thatwhen the packet is formed an aperture will appropriate 7 be present for the introduction of an packet opening instrument.

HOPE BRUCE. 

